Stackable jars



March 20, 1956 b STACKABLE JARS Filed March 2. 1953 Fig.6

INVENTOR. &Z@ 7? 7%; BY

M1MAW H/S A TTOR/VEYS STACKABLE JARS Application March 2, 1953, Serial No. 339,564

3 Claims. c1; 215-10 This invention relates to jars and particularly to specially formed jars which when fitted with closures are readily stackable, one on another, in end to end relationship. a An object of the invention is to produce improved jars and closures such that when closure-fitted jars are stacked in a series, such as defined, each such jar is capable of forming a stable support for another jar and each jar of a stacked series is located in interfitting relationship with at least one other closure-fitted jar of the series.

A further object of the invention is to produce a combination of jar and closure in which each is. so formed that when the closure is fitted to a jar, the resulting combination of jar and closure is then capable of being assembled with other jars in stacked relationship with each jar of the stack, located inend to end'relationship with at least one other jar and withthe closure of each such jar interfitting with a jar supported thereby and providing a stable support for such jar. j

. These and other objects are accomplished by means .of combined jars and closures in which each, jar andv each closure includes novel, and improved features such as are ranging such jars in a stable, stacked series of intercon-Q nected jars. In the drawings accompanying and forming apart hereof, I

Figure 1 is a fragmental sectional view of a glass jar embodying features of my invention fitted, with a closure also embodying features of my invention and shown in supporting relationship with a fragmental sectional view of a second jar embodying features of my invention and shown as located on such closure. i

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the jar shown in Figure l. V

Figure 3 is a fragmental sectional view on an enlarged scale of the jars and closure illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a small scale view of two jars embodying my invention fitted with closures of my invention and shown in a stacked series. I

Figure 5 is a top plan view. of a closure such as is illustrated in sectional view in Figure 1 and Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line VIVI of Figure 5.

The jar illustrated in the drawings is a glass container such as is usually termed a wide mouth jar. For the'purposes of locating the jars in stacked relationshipit is desirable to employ closures which are capable of providing ample support for jars mounted on them. It, nevertheless, is to be understood that the invention here under consideration is not limited to any particular type of jar or any particular type of closure except that it is a feature of the invention that the closure for each jar is capable of being firmly secured to the jar in sealing relationship therewith and is also of such size and shape that it is capable of providing a stable-support for at least one superimposed jar when the jar sealed by it is located in an upright position. While the jars illustrated in the drawings are glass jars and the closures are oft-the type usually the, bottom 15 v of the jar.

Patented .Mar. 20, 1956 made of metal, it will be apparent that the material employed in producing both the jars and the closures is not important, except that a feature of the present invention is to provide a closure which is capable of being removed from the jar on which it is fitted in sealing relationship and of then being reapplied to that jar so as to reseal the same.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings I have diagrammatically illustrated a glass jar of the wide mouth type in which the neck finish 10 thereof is provided with a screw thread 11 and a bead or shoulder 12 which extends around the neck finish in parallel relationship to the upper edge 13 of the jar which constitutes the lip of the jar and surrounds the mouth of the jar. For purposes of illustration only the body or the side wall 14 surrounding the body portion of the jar is shown as of a diameter greater than the diameter of the neck finish 10. It is also shown as converging slightly toward the bottom 15 of the jar which may be of normal shape except that it is provided with a base ring or rib 16 which projects downwardly from and is shown as located at the junction between the side wall 14 of the jar and the bottom 15. The jar illustrated is of circular cross section. The bottom is, therefore, substantially circular" and the base ring or rib 16 is annular and is concentric with the major axis The bottom is also provided on its lower surface with an annular rib 17 which is spaced from, and concentric with the rib 16 but is of less thickness than the rib 16 and, consequently, does not project as far below the bottom of the jar as that rib. The rib 17 may be designated as a centering rib.

I extending around the edge thereof substantially at right herein illustrated and described, which contribute to ar-.

' The closure 18 illustrated is, of course, one adapted to be employedwith a neck finish having screw threads and, as shown, is of cap shape form consisting of a top or disc portion 19 which is provided with a continuous flange 20 angles to the disc portion 19. The flange 20 is provided with ascrew thread 21 which is adapted to engage the screw thread 11 of the neck finish 10. A disc shaped fiat gasket 22 is shown as carried by the closure 18 and is so located with relation to the closure that it contributes to the sealing of the jar when the closure is so fitted to the neck finish of the jar that the gasket is forced against the lip 13 of the jar.

In the drawings the disc portion of the cap is shown as provided with a groove 23 in its outer or upper surface. The groove is circular, is spaced from the flange 20 and is concentric with the flange 20 which is also circular. The groove 23 is shown as formed in the relatively thin material of which the closure is formed, and as a result a correspondingly located rib 24 is formed on the inner face of the closure. As illustrated, the rib 24 is so located that when the closure is in sealing position on the jar it forces the gasket 22 against the lip 13 of the jar, and contributes to the sealing of the jar. Thus, when the jar issealed the gasket 22 is supported on the lip 13 and forms a support for the rib 24 of the closure.

The closure 18 is of such size and shape that it is capable of interfitting with the ring or rib 16 formed on the bottom of the jar. This interfitting relationship of the closure of one jar with the base ring 16 of another jar contributes to the stacking of jars. That is to say, effective stacking is the result of the fact that the closure of a supporting jar interfits with the base ring of the supported jar and the jars of the stack are held in non-slippin g relationship with each other. To state this more concisely, a closure 18 fitted onto the neck finish of one jar and located in sealing relationship with that jar, is capable of supporting another jar, similar in construction to the jar on which the closure is fitted, and is capable of interfitting with the base ring 16 of such other jar. This interv 1 fitting between supporting and supported jars holds the jars in stacked relationship but the arrangement is such that each jar can be readily removed from its supporting jar.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the rib 17 of each jar is so located that it is adapted to project into the groove 23 of the closure 18 on which the jar is supported. The rib 17 of one jar and its cooperating groove 23 of a supporting closure 18 is capable of functioning as centering ring in the operation of stacking the jars. This results from the fact that the opposed walls of each groove 23 converge toward the bottom of the groove, and therefore, some portion of the lit) 17 of the supported or superimposed jar will engage a portion of one of the converging walls of the groove 23 when the superimposed jar is in engagement with but is tilted with relation to the supporting closure. Thus the cooperation between the rib 17 and the inclined wall of the groove 23 will aid in shifting the position of the superimposed jar and thus contribute to a centering movement so that the supporting closure will be encircled by the rib 16 of the supported jar. With such an arrangement the interfitting relationship between the jar-supporting closure on one jar and the rib or base ring 16 of the supported jar is assured by the centering action occasioned by the cooperation between the groove 23 of the supporting closure and the ring 17 of the supported jar. It will also be apparent from the disclosure that independently of the shape of the intermediate portion of the bottom surface of the supported jar, the jar finds ample and firm support on the annular portion of the supporting closure which is located between the fiange 20 and the groove 23. This is occasioned by the fact that the rib 24 formed on the inner face of the disc portion of the closure, is so located that when in engagement with the gasket 1%, the gasket is, in effect, clamped between it and the lip portion of the mouth of the jar on which the closure is fitted. With this relationship between rib 24 and the lip portion of the jar, the edge portion of the closure 18 is firmly supported by the lip of the jar on which the closure is fitted and, consequently, it forms a firm support for the jar located on and interfitted with the closure.

While I have referred to the interfitting relationship between each supporting closure and the base ring 16 of the jar supported by the closure, the drawings disclose that the internal diameter of the base ring 16 is somewhat greater than the external diameter of the top portion of the closure. Under such conditions the ring 16 loosely fits the closure but, as clearly shown in the drawings, the cooperation between the rib 17 on the bottom of a supported jar and the groove 23 of the jar-supporting closure contributes to a centering action of jar with closure so that each supported jar is substantially aligned with its supporting jar. In this way each stack of jars is substantially a vertical stack and each supported jar is, in effect, supported by the lip portion of the mouth of the supporting jar, although as disclosed and described, a portion of the closure and the sealing gasket of the supporting jar intervenes between the two jars. While the gasket 19 illustrated is circular in form, it will be apparent that it may be annular in shape. ,1 annular it, however, must be of such width that it is gripped between the rib 24 of the closure and the lip of the jar on which the closure is fitted in sealing relationship.

While the closure and the neck finish of the jar are provided with interfitting threads 11 and 21, it is to be noted that various ways of securing the closure to the neck finish may be resorted to without departing from my invention. That is to say, the closures may be of the side-seal type but in connection with all forms of closures and jars it is preferable to so locate the centering groove 23 on the closure that the resulting rib 24 formed on the inner face of the closure is, in effect, supported by the lip of the jar on which the closure is located even though a gasket or liner may intervene between it and the lip. While the drawings forming a part hereof disclose but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that the functional features of jar and closure which contribute to the effective stacking of closure-fitted jars, is that each closure is capable of loosely interfitting with a base ring or similar structure formed on the bottom of a supported jar and each closure is also so formed that at least an annular portion adjacent the edge thereof, is held firmly in position by the lip 13 of the jar on which the closure is fitted; The edge portion, therefore, forms a firm support for the jar supported thereby.

While the socalled base ring 16 and centering ring 17 are shown as of circular form and as continuous ribs or ridges, it will be apparent that the shape of the upper edge of the cover of each jar of the series will designate the shape of the ribs or ridges 16 and 17, and that they, therefore, may not be of circular form. It will also be apparent that each of the ribs or ridges 16 and 17 may be made up of a series of spaced lugs, the lugs going into the make-up of the ridge 17 being so located with relation to each other that they cooperate in providing for the interfitting relationship between a cover-supported jar and the cover on which such jar is supported. Likewise the spaced lugs going into the make-up of the socalled centering ring 16 will be so arranged and located on each jar that when the jar is supported on a cover the centering ring will cooperate with the guide 23 formed in the upper surface of the supporting cover so as to contribute to the positioning of the supported jar with relation to that cover so that the cover will readily interfit with the base ring of the supported jar.

It willalso be apparent that other and various changes and modifications may be in the closures and the jars forming details of my invention, without departing from the spirit and scope of that invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A series of closure-fitted, wide mouth, stackable jars, the jars of the series being stacked in upright position and in end to end relationship with each other, each such jar having a substantially cylindrical neck finish terminating in a lip surrounding the mouth of the jar, 21 depending, annular, closure-surrounding rib formed at the bottom of the jar adjacent the side wall thereof and also having an annular centering rib formed on the bottom of said jar concentric with said closure-surrounding rib and the lip of said jar and of substantially the same diameter as the lip of said jar; a separate closure for each such jar of the series fitted onto the neck finish of such jar, each such closure having a neck finish engaging flange formed thereon, adapted to surround the neck finish of the associated jar and each such closure having an annular groove formed in the outer face of said closure and corresponding rib formed on the inner face thereof and so located that it extends along and is located in opposed relationship to the lip of such jar when such closure is located in sealing relationship with the jar; a gasket located within the confines of each such closure engaging the lip of the associated jar and located in supporting relationship with the rib formed on the inner face of such closure when the same is in sealing relationship with such jar, said closure being of such size and shape as to interfit with the closure-surrounding rib of a jar of the series supported thereby with the centering rib of the supported jar projecting into the annular groove of the supporting closure.

2. A series of closure fitted, wide mouth, stackable, glass jars, the jars of the series being stacked in upright position and in end to end relationship with each other, each such jar having a substantially cylindrical neck finish terminating in an annular lip surrounding the mouth of the jar, a depending annular closure-surrounding rib formed at the bottom of the jar and constituting an extension of the side Wall of the jar and also having an annular depending centering rib formed on the bottom of the jar concentric with said first mentioned rib and with the lip of said jar, and of substantially the same diameter as that of said lip; a separate closure for each such jar formed of thin material and having a neck finish engaging annular flange formed thereon around the edge thereof and adapted to surround and engage the neck finish of the associated jar, and each such closure having an annular groove in the outer face thereof and a correspondingly located and simultaneously formed annular rib on the inner face thereof, with said groove and said rib being so located that said rib extends along the circumferential length of, and is located in opposed relationship to the lip of such jar when such closure is located in sealing relationship with the jar; a separate gasket located within the confines of each such closure and engaging said lip of the associated jar and located in sup porting relationship with the rib formed on the inner face of such closure when the closure is in sealing relationship with such jar, said closure being of such size and shape as to interfit with the closure-surrounding rib of a jar of the series supported thereby with the centering rib of the supported jar projecting into the annular groove of the supporting closure.

3. A closure fitted, wide mouth, glass jar adapted for end to end stacking with similar closure fitted jars, said jar having a substantially cylindrical neck finish terminating in an annular lip surrounding the mouth of the jar, a depending, closure-encircling annular rib formed on the bottom of the jar and constituting an extension of the side wall of the jar and also having a depending annular centering rib formed on the bottom of the jar adjacent to and concentric with said first mentioned rib and concentric with said lip and of a diameter equal to that of said lip; in combination with a closure cap having an annular flange formed around the edge thereof of less diameter than said first mentioned rib but of greater diameter than said centering rib, said flange being so formed and positioned as to engage said neck finish, said closure also having an annular groove formed in the outer face thereof and a correspondingly located gasketengaging annular rib formed on the inner face thereof, said groove being concentrically located with said flange and of, a diameter substantially equal to said centering rib and said gasket-engaging rib being so positioned on the closure that it extends along the circumferential length of the lip and is located in opposed relationship to said lip when the closure is in sealing position on said jar; and a sealing gasket located on said lip and in supporting relationship to said gasket-engaging rib when the closure is in sealing position on the jar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 796,221 Jorgensen Aug. 1, 1905 1,626,930 Grogg May 3, 1927 1,658,058 Prindle Feb. 7, 1928 2,120,487 Conner June 14, 1938 2,205,685 Conner June 25, 1940 2,254,168 Dale Aug. 26, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,826 Germany Aug. 17, 1931 

